Utah Symphony Presents Vivaldi's Four Seasons with Violinist Nicola Benedetti & Nielsen's Symphony No. 2

Good things come in fours as Maestro Thierry Fischer returns to the Abravanel Hall stage in November with Guest Violinist Nicola Benedetti and the Utah Symphony presenting Vivaldi's legendary tour de force The Four Seasons.

Also on the program at the November 8 and 9 evening performances is the second step in this season's Nielsen symphony cycle. "The Four Temperaments" is Nielsen's thrilling musical depiction of the essential components of the human soul.

Nielsen's Symphony No. 2 depicts the ancient medical belief of the four temperaments: choleric (ambitious), phlegmatic (relaxed), melancholic (thoughtful), and sanguine (sociable). In program notes about the symphony Nielsen mentioned that he was inspired by a poster he saw in a pub that featured the four temperaments in a very exaggerated and comical style. After laughing at it with his wife and friends he found his mind returning to the image again and again, and it inspired the work. Although the symphony is programmatic, it still follows a traditional symphonic structure.

Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons are among the boldest pieces of program music from the Baroque period. Vivaldi wrote the individual movements in the work to represent each of the four seasons. It was originally for solo violin, string quartet, and basso continuo (basically a Baroque period technique where an instrument or instruments form the harmonic structure and basis of the piece; most commonly keyboard, or keyboard and cello).

Utah Symphony has programmed The Four Seasons, whole and in part, many times over the years. The most recent Masterworks performance was in 2006 with Corey Cerovsek.

RELATED EVENTS

The concert will also be presented at Browning Fine Arts Center (1901 University Circle, Ogden, Utah) at Weber State University in Ogden on Thursday, November 7 at 7:30 pm.

Music Director Thierry Fischer and Vice President of Artistic Planning Toby Tolokan will present a free pre-concert chat each night, one hour prior to the start of the performance on the orchestra level of Abravanel Hall.

TICKET INFORMATION

Single tickets for the performance start at $18 and can be purchased by phone at (801) 355-2787, in person at the Abravanel Hall ticket office (123 W. South Temple) or online by visiting www.utahsymphony.org. Season subscribers can purchase discounted tickets by contacting (801) 533-6683. Those desiring group discounts should call (801) 869-9046. All ticket prices are subject to change and availability, and will increase $5 when purchased on the day of the performance.

GUEST ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

About Nicola Benedetti, Violin

Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and dynamic presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high profile advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today.

With concerto performances at the heart of her career, Nicola is in much demand with major orchestras and conductors across the globe. Recent and future performances include engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, WDR Cologne, Danish National Symphony, Strasbourg Philharmonic, Orchestre National D'Ile de France, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Chamber, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C., Dallas Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Melbourne Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic among others. Nicola will also embark on tours with the Bergen Philharmonic (Germany), Camerata Salzburg and BBC Scottish Symphony (India).

The 2014-15 season will see Nicola further her passion for music of the Italian Baroque and historical performance realized in collaborations with Andrea Marcon and WDR Cologne, Venice Baroque Orchestra and a European tour with La Cetra Barockorchester Basel.

These international appearances have resulted in her working with a host of distinguished conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Stéphane Denève, Christoph Eschenbach, James Gaffigan, Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert, Jakub Hr?ša, Louis Langrée, Andrew Litton, Ji?í B?lohlávek, Sir Neville Marriner, Diego Matheuz, Kristjan Järvi, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Donald Runnicles, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Pinchas Zukerman, and Jaap van Zweden.

Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Nicola began violin lessons at the age of five with Brenda Smith. In 1997, she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya. Upon leaving, she continued her studies with Maciej Rakowski and then Pavel Vernikov, and continues to work with multiple acclaimed teachers and performers.

Program

The Utah Symphony presents

Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Abravanel Hall, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Friday November 8, 2013, 8:00 PM / Saturday November 9, 2013, 8:00 PM

Maestro Thierry Fischer, conductor

Nicola Benedetti, violin

Pre-concert chat one hour before each concert with Music Director Thierry Fischer and Vice President of Symphony Artistic Planning Toby Tolokan.

Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 8, Nos. 1-4

I. Concerto in E Major (La primavera)

II. Concerto in g minor (L'estate)

III. Concerto in F major (L'autunno)

IV. Concerto in f minor (L'inverno)

Nicola Benedetti, Violin

INTERMISSION

Carl Nielsen Symphony No. 2, Opus 16, "The Four Temperaments"

I. Allegro collerico

II. Allegro comodo e flemmatico

III. Andante malincolico

IV. Allegro sanguineo

About the Utah Symphony

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony is dedicated to providing Utah residents and visitors with great performances which engage, educate and enrich lives. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 citizens in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 200,000 students annually. The orchestra presents more than 70 performances each season in Abravanel Hall, participates in the Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Capitol Theatre, in addition to numerous community concerts throughout Utah and the annual outdoor summer series - the Deer Valley Music Festival -in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged full-time orchestras in the nation. For more information visit www.utahsymphony.org.

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